Have you ever driven by a business and wondered why their building looks so shabby? Or when was the last time they cut their grass?
We often consider curb appeal when we’re selling a home. But curb appeal is even more important for a business.
The outside of your building is your buyer’s first visual impression of your business. You want it to be a positive impression.
Make sure your curb appeal stays in tip-top shape by maintaining and updating your business exterior.
Here are our top 10 reasons to update your business exterior.
1. Foot traffic is down.
If you rely on foot traffic, curb appeal should be at the top of your priorities list. Foot traffic is most important for retailers, restaurants, and salons. But every brick and mortar business relies on foot traffic to some extent.
One way you can tell that you need an upgrade is by measuring your foot traffic.
Why is it important to measure foot traffic?
If you are looking for a new location or looking to upgrade locations, you want to be sure the foot traffic is high. Analyzing the foot traffic in your area also gives you a better idea of who you need to market to.
But foot traffic is also a way to measure customer satisfaction with the appearance of your building.
If your business exterior needs an upgrade, you’ll see the drop in foot traffic.
2. You plants are screaming for some love.
Nothing screams “I don’t care about my business” like untidy landscaping. And customers know this.
As a business owner, you’ve got a bunch of other things to worry about. Landscaping might not be at the top of your list.
But it should be! If your grass needs mowing and your flower beds need weeding, it’s time to do some upgrades.
Landscaping upgrades don’t need to be difficult. Mow the grass and plant some new plants in your boxes.
Add some potted plants for some color and variety. Make sure to weed the rocks that surround your walkway.
These are simple maintenance items that can make a huge difference in the exterior look of your building. And it shows customers that you care about the details.
3. Your paint job has passed its expiration date.
Exterior paint gives you the most bang for your buck in the curb appeal department. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the easiest elements to neglect.
If your paint is chipped or peeling, hire a good contractor and get a quality paint job. Not only is peeling paint unsightly, it’s bad for your siding.
When paint peels, it lets water and sunlight hit the bare siding, damaging it. You’d much rather pay for a new paint job than new siding, right?
Consider changing the color to bring more awareness to your building. Customers will notice the change.
A good paint job should last you seven years. But that also depends on the type of siding you’ve got and the weather in your area. If you’re in an area with less sunlight, you might be able to go longer between painting.
Either way, changing the exterior paint every now and then is a great way to make your building stand out. It can also improve the value of your property.
And don’t forget about the door and trim.
4. You’ve changed your branding.
Businesses evolve over time and something that worked for you five years ago, might not work today. If you change your branding, you’ll need to upgrade your exterior.
We often remember to do this on the interior, but it’s important to do on the exterior as well. What does that involve?
If you’ve got a new logo, get professional door decals made to update the logo. Go with a new color scheme that goes throughout the entire property.
Your business might revolve around a hometown, country feel. Add shutters and change out your numbers so they match the new brand.
Or maybe your branding strategy is modern and sleek with bright white walls, blonde wood features, and stainless steel fixtures. Create the same environment on the outside. Customers love to see consistency.
5. Your sign is showing its age.
Your business sign is the first thing your potential customer sees when they enter your property. An old sign is an instant turnoff.
If your sign has seen better days, it’s time to upgrade.
How can you tell if your sign needs an upgrade? If it’s illuminated and any of the lights are broken, it’s time to change them out or get them fixed.
Many plastic signs yellow over time. You might not notice this because you see it every day. But make an effort to check them out and replace a yellowed sign.
Wooden signs should be repainted when you repaint the rest of your building.
If it’s been 10 years since you last replaced your sign, it’s likely outdated. You should upgrade to something more modern.
When you upgrade your sign, change your door decals to match the new sign. As we mentioned before, customers like consistency.
6. You haven’t updated your outside decor in over two years.
Two years is about the threshold for outdoor decor because it’s exposed to the elements.
Shabby Christmas wreaths or faded Halloween pumpkins don’t add to curb appeal.
If you’ve got everyday decor outside, keep an eye on it to make sure it isn’t faded. Sunlight, wind, and water are hard on outdoor items and they can fade and tatter.
This includes furniture. If you’ve got benches for your customers to sit on, make sure to paint or stain them regularly. These items will peel and fade faster than the siding will on your building.
7. Your competition brings their “A” game.
You might need to upgrade because you’ve got new competition. Or your old competition has done a recent exterior upgrade.
Never be left in the dust. If their building has a freshly upgraded exterior, they’re more likely to get customers.
It’s also a good idea to pay attention to your neighbors. If the neighboring business upgrades, it can make your building look rundown.
Your building might be in an area where new buildings are going up regularly. This makes it more important to keep your exterior fresh and clean.
8. A clean exterior is a happy exterior.
If you’ve never cleaned your building exterior, you need to work on that. Customers like to see clean, maintained spaces.
One of the best options for cleaning decks, porches, and patios is pressure washing. Pressure washers use high-pressure machines to shoot water out fast enough to blast the dirt off your building.
Pressure washing is also good when the walls of your building are dirty. And they work well on signs and parking lots too.
Have your entire property pressure washed once or twice a year to make the exterior clean and inviting. If you’re in a dirtier, industrial area, you might consider doing it more often.
9. You’re trying to grow your business.
If you’re in the market to grow, a great way to bring in more customers is to upgrade your building exterior.
Do some research about what your customers like to see. Check out what the competition is doing. You can even survey existing customers about what kind of improvements they would like to see you make.
If your business is really booming, you might want to add on. You can make other changes to the exterior at that time as well.
Create a more consistent environment and then market that to potential customers. They’ll see how inviting your new space is and give your business a try.
10. Customers are complaining.
Customer complaints are a great way to assess the look and feel of your business. If your customers have complained about the fact that you don’t have a covered entrance, you need to upgrade and put one in.
Handicap accessibility is important and upgrading to add a ramp for wheelchair access shows your appreciation for your customers.
Customers might not like it that you don’t have large display windows to show off your products. If so, it’s time to think about adding that feature.
If your parking lot is gravel, consider paving it. Customers appreciate pavement so they don’t have to walk in mud or dust.
Listen to what your customers say and make upgrades accordingly.
The Importance of Curb Appeal
Creating an inviting business is important for customer satisfaction. But customers won’t even come through the door if they aren’t pleased with the exterior of your building.
Curb appeal can improve foot traffic, drive up sales, and even increase the value of your property.
And creating an appealing exterior is not difficult. Repainting, pressure washing, and landscaping are all relatively easy and inexpensive ways to improve curb appeal.
Whether you’re looking to do a complete exterior remodel or update your paint color, we’ve got you covered.
Check out our commercial gallery to see some of our other satisfied customers in the Chattanooga area.